Hoisting apparatus.



G. W. HUNT, HOISTING APPARATUS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. HUNT, OF NEW YO K, N. Y,

HOISTING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WVALLACE HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at West New Brighton, in the borough of Richmond of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient means for preventing the twisting of buckets and the like, which is apt to occur when the bucket or load, whatever it may be, is supported in the usual manner.

The present improvement has been designed with reference to its use with clam shell buckets, which are usually provided "with two ropes, one, the hoisting or head rope, by which the load is usually carried, and the other, the closing rope, by which the opening and closing of the bucket are controlled, but the improvement is equally applicable to other forms of hoisting apparatus.

In accordance with the invention, two head or hoisting ropes and means for winding both ropes are provided, and lest the objectof the improvement should be defeated by the placing of one of such ropes under greater tension than the other, from any cause, such, for example, as the piling up of one rope on its drum, an equalizing device is provided in the connection of the head ropes to the load so that the tension of the two ropes shall be the same at all times.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is an outline view showing a hoisting apparatus, otherwise of ordinary construction, equipped with the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view in elevation showing a clam shell bucket and the two head ropes with one form of equalizing device. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views showing other forms of equalizing devices. Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating a different arrangement of the drums from that shown in Fig. 1.

A hoisting apparatus of the simplest form is shown in Fig. 1 as illustrative of the ap- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 9, 1909.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 512,055.

plication of the invention, such apparatus, as there shown, comprlsing two separate hoisting drums a, c with their respective head ropes b, b, and a closing drum 0 with its closing rope (Z, all of the drums being mounted upon a common axis. The two head ropes b and the closing rope (Z are led over suitable guide sheaves a, c, to the bucket f, the closing rope (1 being connected to the mechanism of the bucket in the usual manner, not necessary to be described, while the two head ropes Z) are connected to the head or frame 9 of the bucket, the head ropes being so spread by the location of the guide sheaves e, 0 over which they pass and by their connection to the bucket as to prevent the twisting of the bucket about a vertical axis. In Fig. 6 the two head ropesv b, b, are shown as connected to different parts of the same drum a, mounted upon the same axis with the closing drum 0.

If the two head ropes 7), b were connected directly and independently to the bucket or carrier for the load, it might happen, through the piling up of one rope upon its drum, or from some other cause, that the load would be carried practically by one head rope while the other would be slack or at least relieved of tension, and in such a case the load might twist about the axis of the tense head rope. To prevent such action, the two head ropes are connected to the load through an equalizing device which will equalize the tension between the ropes under such conditions as might arise. Obviously such equalizing device might be of any suitable construction. As shown in Fig. 2, for example, it consists of a loose sheave h mounted on the head 1 of the bucket while the two head ropes b, 7), are joined by a short section of chain 11 which passes about the sheave. Thus, the tension will always be equally distributed between the two head ropes, even though one should be taken up more than the other. The employment of a chain to connect the two head ropes is also advantageous in that it removes the liability of the cutting of the ropes upon the flanges of the sheave or the injurious bending of wire ropes, if such ropes are employed when the bucket strikes bottom and tilts in one direction or the other. The chain, however, might be dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case the head ropes b, I), are directly connected and the sheave it rests in the bight of the double rope. The loose sheave also may be replaced by a suitable fixed guide and spreaderlc as in Fig. 4, upon which the ropes b, b may shift if the tension on one is increased. Various other forms of equalizing devices will suggest themselves as the conditions of any particular use may require. Thus, as an illustration of still another form of equalizing device, the two ropes b, b are shown in Fig. 5 as connected to opposite ends of an equalizing lever Z which may be pivoted on the head or frame 9. In the use of the form of equalizing device shown in Fig 5, as well as in any other form in which the two ropes b, b are connected to any intermediate part, such as the lever Z of Fig. 5 or the chain a of Fig. 2, any tendency to twist may be still further prevented by using one rope for a right hand lay and the other rope with a left hand lay.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination with the bucket or load, of two head ropes to support the load, means for Winding both of said ropes and an equalizing de- Vice through which the ropes are connected to the bucket or load.

2. In a hoisting apparatus, the combina tion with the bucket or load, means for winding both of said ropes of two head ropes to support the load, separate guide sheaves for the ropes, and a guide and spreader connected to the bucket or load and adapted to permit movement of the head ropes to equalize the tension.

3. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination with the bucket or load, of two heads ropes to support the load, separate guide sheaves for the ropes, a guide and spreader connected to the bucket or load, and a chain connecting the head ropes and passing about 40 Y CHARLES W. HUNT.

Signed in the presence of AMBROSE G. OSHEA, W. B. GREELEY. 

